Suspects behind Paris terror hoax ‘inspired’ by Israeli hacker
Two teenagers boast of false alarm, express admiration for French-Israeli hacker who denies any link or involvement
Two teenagers arrested in France on Monday for causing a false terror alert in Paris have reportedly declared themselves to be inspired by French-born Israeli hacker Gregory Chelli.
The two, aged 16 and 17, boasted of their hoax and claimed that they were soldiers in the far-right militant group the Jewish Defense League, according to French news website L’Obs.
The Daily Mail quoted the two as saying that they are admirers of Chelli, who is also known by his online persona Ulcan, and who lives in Ashdod.
Chelli is associated with the JDL, a group founded by assassinated extremist rabbi Meir Kahane. He has a history of political activism, making hoax calls and harassing media and individuals.
But on his Facebook page, Chelli denied any connection to the teens, claiming that they are not Jewish and accusing them of having posted anti-Semitic material online. Chelli also published detailed information about one of them, in order to assist police with their inquiries.
Chelli also criticized the media for linking the hoax with Israel.
“I’d like to know,” he wrote in French on Facebook, why the journalist who wrote this article “thinks it worth specifying that the perpetrators of the hoax are pro-Israeli.
“Once again I have no link with the perpetrators, and I find this a stupid hoax,” he wrote.
The French Interior Ministry says the unnamed teens are being accused of orchestrating a “malevolent act.”
The two are suspected of triggering a false terror alert in Paris on Saturday afternoon, when they claimed there was a hostage situation at a local church.
The youths admitted to contacting security forces through a terror-alert app, and falsely claiming that terrorists had taken prisoners at Saint-Leu Church. French security forces subsequently cordoned off an area of central Paris before announcing that it had been a “false alarm” and there was no danger.
“We said there had been hostages taken in the church and that there were 10 North Africans with weapons and suicide belts,” the two suspects told the BFM TV channel, according to the Daily Mail translation.
“We said there had been hostages taken in the church and that there were 10 North Africans with arms and suicide belts. We did not think it would work. We just did it for the thrill and to become known. If people panic then that’s their fault,” they were quoted as saying.
The two reportedly now face a possible jail sentence for sparking a terror alert in a city already on edge after a wave of bloody attacks.
